New York nightlife and hotels.

Me and my friend are soon to embark on a trip accross the US, with the starting destination being New York. We are finding it difficult to choose a hotel in New York which is both affordable and located in the right place. We are two 22 year olds and want to be located close to the citys nightlife, so we dont have to arrange travel back when we might have had one too many.

We have found a good hotel called the Astor, which is just north of central park. Is this too far from the citys nightlife, would we be able to get back using the subway?

I have a couple of questions, where is the main nightlife situated in New York, and are there any hotels in this area that fit our financial criteria?

I can't speak to the Astor as I have never stayed there. I have stayed quite a few budget hotels in NYC over the past 20 years, including the Gershwin Hotel, Hotel Pennsylvania and the Hotel Wolcott and found them all to be adequate, nothing special, just the basics. One to definitely stay away from though is the St. James.

From a quick glance at the subway map, there are two stops on the A, C, B, & D lines within three blocks from the Astor.

As for nightlife, almost all area of Manhattan has good nightlife, depends on what you are looking for. Good bars and restaurants in every neighborhood. The City is after all "the city that never sleeps." I prefer to hang out in the East Village and Greenwich Village. I also like the Upper West Side in the 80s (close to where you will be staying at the Astor).

I would not worry about getting home late at night. Public transport runs all hours of the night. You can take the subway or the bus. Worst case you can always catch a cab. As far as hotels I lived in NY so don't have to much information. I stayed at one hotel about 4 months ago called Marakesh on the upper west side http://www.marrakechhotelnyc.com/index.asp It was a nice place the rooms are small though. They have a nice little lounge for drinks at the subway is accross the street. As far as night life is concerned, as S_Paradise said, depends on what you are looking for. One place that is a bit out of the way but well worth the trip is Bohemia Hall and Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens. http://www.bohemianhall.com/home.htm They have a big outdoor area that is hard to come by in NYC. $14 pitchers of good beer. Doesnt look like much but it is a fine casual atmosphere. It gets packed at night on the weekends and there is usually a line. The line does move quick so dont be detered by it. Enjoy. If you have any other questions you can send me a PM.

I'm not sure what your budget constraints may be, but a wonderful boutique hotel, The Pickwick Arms, is very reasonably priced for it's splendid location. The rooms are quite small and are referred to as "pods". Although the rooms are tiny they are really hip, newly refurbished with flat screen TV's and are extremely functional. There are lots of pubs and restaurants about and they have a great rooftop garden/bar to catch some wonderful views of Manhattan.

They have recently changed the hotel's name to The Pod Hotel, (...go figure...) and you may find them at the following website where you may choose the pod of your choice, (i.e. A double room with shared bed or two bunks.) http://www.pickwickarms.com/321/index.html

Have a great time in NYC and keep your eye out for The Cash Cab, a trivia game show that takes place in a NY taxi where you can earn cash. Too cool!

ay up Try The Senton Hotel not the best of hotels in N/Y but i have stayed there twice,and was there in April this year don't think you will get much cheaper,we payed $110 P/N double room with bathroom and WC, 5 mins walk away from Empire State brilliant position, it had clean linen and was safe,hope its some help Allan Cornwall